We have many partnerships in our community with organizations and other government entities that are doing similar work and trying to achieve similar goals. The bottom line is we can achieve more when we work together.

But we have a special relationship with The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. Foundation. The Haile Foundation truly believes in our work and helping the people we serve, so the folks running the foundation go above and beyond when it comes to helping us out. I sometimes feel like we are the Haile Foundation’s adopted child — Tim and Leslie Maloney and Christine Bochenek answer the call any time we reach out to them.

The Haile Foundation currently funds several interns who perform work that helps take the pressure off of our staff. It also has provided gifts to graduating foster children or adoptive families in the past, including tickets to Playhouse in the Park.

And now the Foundation is bringing country singer Jimmy Wayne to town to speak to our staff, providers, partners and foster children about how a “foster” family saved his life and set him on the path to success. His story is touching and inspirational and I am glad the people who work in the field and the children who are traveling similar paths will have the chance to hear it.

Tim, Leslie and Chris are extremely good to our organization and make life easier for the people we serve. These are the kinds of parterships that work. We cannot achieve our mission without the support of the community.

I am very honored to be asked to speak at The Georgetown Public Policy Institute’s Leadership, Evidence, Analysis, Debate (LEAD) Conference on Jan. 25. The subject is policy and collaboration in child welfare.

My presentation will focus on several partnerships we have that result in better outcomes for foster children, including the Crossover Youth Project, Journey, HOPE, Kids in School Rule and more.

We have tremendous partnerships that produce wonderful results for foster children. This speaks well of the cooperation and creativity of child-serving agencies in Hamilton County. They share in this honor and I will be sure to highlight their contributions to that success.

It is a small number, when you think about the large amount of people who live in Hamilton County. One of the reasons is that the abuse and exploitation of senior citizens often goes unreported.

They are often embarrassed when they fall victim to a scam or when a family member abuses or takes advantage of them. Or, they are in the beginning stages of dementia and unable to protect themselves. Finally, they are often isolated without much outside contact, so it is easy for it to be covered up, missed or ignored.

More than half of the cases we handle actually don’t involve abuse or exploitation, but rather self neglect. It is beyond sad when someone is unable to care for themselves and unable or unwilling to reach out for help. We work hard to ensure they get the care they need and are able to live with dignity.

We will investigate any specific allegation of someone who is suffering from the infirmities of aging and falling victim to themselves or another. If you know of someone in need, call our 421-LIFE hotline. We should all look out for our elderly family members and neighbors.

We produced a special edition of our Update community newsletter that details the best and fastest ways to do business with us. You can also read my column on our renewed commitment to customer service.

Here’s the link. While you are there, please sign up to regularly receive our newsletter via email.